EU ratifies Internet copyright treaties

The European Union has ratified the World Intellectual Property Orgainsation’s (WIPO) Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty, the so-called Internet Treaties, which are designed to make the world’s copyright laws appropriate for protecting copyright on the Internet.

Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy said this was an important modernisation of the international system for protecting of copyright and related rights. “These two treaties brought protection up to speed with modern technologies. As the technological evolution accelerates, protecting creators and creative industries is more urgent than ever.”

By ratifying these Treaties, the EU hopes to breathe new vigour WIPO’s current work in drawing up international treaties that will provide a high level of protection for the creative industries on the Internet.

Work on the newly-ratified treaties began in the Diplomatic Conference of 1996 that aimed to upgrade the rights of authors, performers and phonogram producers to withstand the challenges of the digital age. The two WIPO copyright treaties contain rules on distribution, rental, the right of public communication and the making available of protected content online.

In 2000, the EU’s members took a formal decision to ratify the WIPO Treaties together, and negotiations on these two Treaties marked the first time that the EU was accorded full Contracting Party status in the field of copyright, as opposed to the observer status it had previously held.

The Director General of WIPO, Francis Gurry, welcomed the EU’s ratification, noting that the EU plays a leading role in promoting use of the Internet and in developing on-line content. Gurry said, “Ratification of the treaties will positively influence the development of creativity within the digital environment in Europe and beyond.”